We Stand Alone
by Thereonly1Phoenix
Summary: Vincent and the rest of AVALANCHE are drawn into the darker, seedier underbelly of the city Edge.They are being watched by a stranger that should have stayed in Vincent's past. WARNING will be M rated soon as story gets darker and saucier!
1. In the Darkness

I have been for a while having this story idea run through my head for a long time since seeing Advent Children and played Dirge Of Cerberus.

I love the whole thing about how Vincent copes with his immortality and his differences but kinda got fed up with how long he dragged it out and although throughout the FF7 history, his character developed to loosen up and become more human again…I still think he needs a good kick up the bum to stop him from wallowing.

Which is where this story comes in. I had to get it out on paper and exorcise these thoughts that been cursing me since…well…forever !

I don't owe nor have anything to do with Square Enix's game FF7 – this is written purely for fun as a fan.

* * *

**We Stand Alone**

It had been two months since that day.

_From the sky fell snowflakes of fragmented pieces of the life stream, drifting slowly to the ground where they disappeared to become one with the planet again._

_She ignored the awed sounds coming from her men as they stood stock-still and watched the heavens where just moments before there was a battle between the almighty Omega which started to take flight and a tiny red streak of light. They watched as this streak plummeted downwards, head on towards Omega and what followed was a huge explosion as Omega disintegrated into the life stream from where is was created._

The planet was beginning it's long task of healing itself, and man-kind was left to pick the pieces from their own self destruction.

The wreckage of Midgar and several other cities was being pulled down, bodies being buried and lives slowly knitting back together to some former resemblance of normality.

Vincent Valentine, the man who brought down Deepground and the people within it was finally lured out of Lucrecia's cave by Shelke who was sent to him by the rest of Avalanche. He was no longer a broken man who harboured four demons; they perished the day Chaos was finally freed. He watched the four red pieces of life stream drift downwards from the heavens back to the planet, one for each cursed being he lived with for all those years.

His sins were atoned and his mind was now light from troubles as he was nearly the semblance of a normal man.

He was slowly changing to the man he once was, a man who could smile and joke with an upbeat heart. He had a long way to go but one mustn't rush progress and his friends were there to gently nudge him in the right direction.

Her radio crackled as Reeve's voice informed her that the threat of Omega was no more and that they were to rendezvous in the nearby square. She voiced her affirmative and was about to signal to her men to move out when something falling from the sky caught her attention. It landed nearby amongst the rubble and mess created by the past several days of war and fighting. Steam rose from it and as she drew closer, she saw what it is…..or what is once was.

He was now able to talk a bit more and was more inclined nowadays to answer his PHS rather than pull his gun on someone he couldn't tolerate, be it Yuffie or some creature of vile origins.

Not that he could pull his gun on anyone since he had lost it in the fight with Omega. He had taken it as a sign to update his weaponry arsenal with a more modern alternative though he couldn't bring himself to resign Death Penalty and Peace Maker to a well-earned retirement.

_Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she bent down and carefully picked up the hot fragment of metal._

_What caught her attention first was a small charm dangling from it, undamaged unlike the rest of it. She caught it between her fingers and admired the charm; it's three dog's heads atop of a large point and knew this piece of burnt metal was once a beloved weapon._

_She looked at the burnt barrel and saw the engraved designs; splinters of wood still remained where the handle of the gun has burned away to reveal the metal that ran beneath it. She clicked the barrel out and saw there were three bullets still within their chamber, ready to be fired at any given moment. _

Despite the devastation caused by Deepground, there came another and a more potentially dangerous problem that arose from the ashes of fallen cities.

Due to poverty and the poor quality of living in the former metropolises of the big, chaotic cities, Gangs have started rising from the slums, each trying to reign a hold over the other, taking advance of the fallen state the country was in to pillage, destroy and hoard essentials and sell them on at a back-breaking fee. One way in which to do this was to search the ruins for valuables.

And valuables they did find, in the form of deadly weapons and an arsenal of knowledge in the forms of data from the vaults and laboratories of former Shinra occupation and destroyed WRO and Deepground bases.

There was no law and authority on the streets, the WRO was spread thin as it was over numerous cities and many criminals took advantage of it, orphans and those made homeless were kidnapped by pimps and sold as slaves in underground meetings where the few gathered with large amounts of money to invest in corrupt deeds.

There was very few people who miss those who disappear in the huge slave trafficking rings and even fewer tried to find them amongst the mazes of corruption beneath every major city in the continents.

From the wreckages of destroyed buildings came a new threat that was falling into the wrong hands. The possibility was as bad as Hojo or Seitheroth themselves being resurrected, another mad man could have destruction on his agenda with profit on his mind.

What other secrets did these ruins have to reveal?

_From these charred remains, she knew its owner was a dedicated marksman and a good one at that to even consider processing such a fine weapon._

What are those forgotten vaults going to reveal?

Wrapping it in its handkerchief, she shoved it in her backpack and pulled out a magazine clip to which she reloaded her gun

What sins will emerge that all will have to atone for?

_She signalled with her hand to the men to move out and they carefully picked their way through the mess and debris that littered the streets of Midgar._

But one has to remember that where there's darkness, there is hope.

* * *

It's a dark night Vinnie so what is it you're looking at? 

Can't be the stars for they and the moon are hidden tonight behind those thick inky clouds.

I know you can't see me.

Perhaps you can smell my fragrance and wondering who the scent belongs to?

No, you seem lost despite where you are.

Does the chill of the night not make your skin tremble?

It now never bothers me.

Your window is wide open and you're sitting on your bed that lies beneath it. One arm rest on the still where you lay your head, soft black hair dancing in the breeze as your red eyes look out into the night.

You sigh.

What's the matter?

Something makes you stand up, you wiggle your left hand out of the gloved claw and flex those long, pale fingers.

You reach up and unbuckle your cape then let it slid to the floor like some crimson stain. Your boots thud against the floor as you pull them off.

You slowly unbutton your shirt, stretching yourself out of it and chucking it to the floor where it joins the rest of your clothes.

Even in the darkness I can see the faint silvery lines on your ghostly white body.

What had happened all those years ago when I couldn't save you?

What had scarred you deeper than the scars on your skin?

You unbutton the top button on your leather trousers but you don't pull the zipper down, you stretch out on the bed, flexing like a cat welcoming sleep.

Your eyes stare at the ceiling for a long time till eventually they close, weighted by the heaviness of sleep.

You've forgotten the close the window again.

You'll catch your death if you're not careful.

Then again, I don't think you nor me needs to worry about that no more.

Someone should place that blanket on the end of the bed over you.

Good night Vincent.


	2. Peace in the eye of the Storm

As usual – I don't owe anything to do with Square Enix or Final Fantasy.

* * *

It was the Wednesday morning breeze that stirred him.

Somewhere in the street below came the sounds of the daily market down the road.

The waft of smells told him that a fresh load of fish was in stock along with grounded coffee and the crispy smell of bread.

His back lazily arched as he rolled over, disturbing the blanket that laid over him.

Strange, he didn't remember pulling it up last night.

He must have been more tired that he thought. Since Chaos left his body, he had to readjust like a sailor walking on dry land for the first time after a long while on the rolling sea.

Before he could go through long periods without the need to eat or sleep but now, there was a limit to how long he could do so.

He sat up, massaging the back of his neck with one hand then slowly stood and walked to his bedroom door.

Peering out into the dark corridor, he padded across to the bathroom and locked the door behind him.

He pulled down his towel from the towel rail.

His was red, Cloud's was green, Tifa's white, Denzel's blue and Marlene was a candyfloss pink.

There was also a yellow one out which revealed that Shelke was here for several days and usually in tow was…

Yup, there was a dark purple towel scrunched on the floor.

Yuffie.

It was an interesting thing, by glancing at the towels in the large bathroom, Vincent could tell who was home.

Home.

It was still something he had to get used to.

The wanderlust have been kerbed to an extent that where ever he now goes, he always knows he has a place to head back to, a final destination.

That was Final Heaven bar in the city of Edge.

It was at the insistence of Tifa and Cloud he stayed with them whenever he wanted and this offer was extended to Yuffie and Shelke too.

The shower was a hot one, the benefits of being an early riser meant Vincent had first use of the hot water, a rarity when sharing the house with six others.

He reached for his own shower gel, a gentleman's musk over Tifa's almond scented one and Marlene's strawberry and cola gel.

He nudged a yellow duck away from the plughole with his big toe and tilted his head back into the hot spray.

Aching morning joints were alleviated in the heat of the water and Vincent towelled himself dry before trudging back into his room to dress.

It was daily routines that gave him a sense of peace. Everything had an aching familiarity to it after years of chaos and turbulence.

He belonged somewhere to people it mattered and it was something he vowed to protect.

* * *

I very rarely sleep. Perhaps it's Insomnia?

Makes no difference, there's too much to keep me from sleeping.

The WRO doesn't run on its own.

Reeve wakes from his desk where he fallen asleep during the night, a sheet of paper stuck to the side of his mouth where he had drooled.

I couldn't tell him that the printed words on the paper have left black marks on his cheek.

Rufus silently placed a mug of coffee in front of him.

I was in here trying to find a file amongst the chaos that was in Reeve's office. Rufus gave up waiting for me to find it and instead joined me, trying to rescue large bundles of paperwork before they slid to the floor.

Cait Sith was on mute, his mouth opened and closed with no sound as he silently berated us for the disturbance.

I smelt Rufus's aftershave as he drew close to me, his arm brushed against mine, skin hot.

Perhaps he's feeling a little under the weather?

Reeve asks what we're looking for.

Blueprints of the WRO dispatch station for the meeting we got with the architects.

He forgotten abut it, guiltily he began rummaging like some lost insect, ignoring Rufus who complained about the mess and how he needs a shower and clean up.

I found it, I waved it in Rufus's face and he took it from me.

Reeve yawned and crouched down to shut Cait Seth down into recharge mode before declaring he was off to the showers.

"What the plans for your day?" Rufus asked. He smiled.

I liked seeing him smile, it tells me he's alright handling the corruption his father left behind, another man wouldn't have shouldered the blame so easily.

"I'm going out." I reply, what I do is my own business even if it's official WRO work. Rufus doesn't press any further; he knows I don't like talking about things I've yet to do. He will wait patiently for me to come to him and inform him on a later date.

"I'll set up the meeting; you don't have to be there. How about catching up on your sleep?"

How did he know?

As if he knew he replied, "Vinnie left muddy paw prints on the lobby so I knew you were out walking him, especially so late at night."

Ah.

He didn't wait for an answer but walked out the office.

The truth is I don't want to sleep. I don't even feel tired.

I lie on the bed staring at the ceiling and ponder what the name of the white paint used to decorate the room.

Beige?

Off-white?

Pale Infinity?

No way will I spend countless nights naming the cracks in the ceiling. (The biggest one was called Jackson.)

Besides, there are plenty of things to do in the still of the night.

I can move freely without people staring at my strange womanly appearance.

It's not as if I asked for it you know.

White hair might seem odd enough especially since it usually associated with those of evil doings but it's my eyes.

I've been told numerous times they look feline.

They are bright yellow but unlike a cat, my pupils remain their original round, black shape.

Reeve said I looked beautiful, like some divine grace.

Truth be told, I don't feel beautiful in the slightest, I feel stained.

I wasn't always like this; I had brown hair and green eyes once.

It was the stains of my past that made me look the way I do now.

Everything about me is no longer human.

I can go days without eating or drinking.

It takes longer for me to tire and my senses are super sharp.

I'm much stronger than I look and I heal rapidly.

And deep within me is this horrible sense of rage.

I'm an oddity and the night helps me disguise it.

I'm the one people warn you about meeting in some dark alley.

I'm the one who runs across your roof at night.

I atoned for the things that happened and now the world owes me.

I lived this far in life, beyond my normal years and surely I deserve it.

Right?

Give this girl a break.

I'm nearly sixty for Gaia's sake!

Not that you'd know and for that I forgive you.

* * *

Vincent sipped his wine; it was a bottle of vintage he bought from a wine merchant in the town, a man who really knew his stuff and was happy to share it with someone who respected it all the same.

His eyes wandered over the lines of writing as he read his book, something he picked up on one trip.

This moment was a rare luxury and it was something Vincent was experiencing on a more frequent bases.

He uncrossed his legs then crossed them again as he took another sip then turned the page.

This process was repeated for a while longer until he drained his glass and reached out to refill it.

"Night Vinnie!" Yuffie called out. He ignored it, not wanting to encourage her calling him by that nickname.

There was a pounding at the door and he was forced to acknowledge her with a 'Good night' of his own, resigned to the fact of doing so if he wanted some silence.

Left in peace once again, he bought the glass up to his lips and resumed reading.

The breeze of the night air that wafted through the window caressed his cheeks and he raised his red eyes from the page to look out.

He heard the familiar sound of a bike droning in the distance until it drew closer.

Cloud must be returning home from a delivery.

He heard Cloud silencing his bike and dismounting and the rattle of the garage door opening. Tifa's voice drifted on the breeze as she called out a greeting which Cloud responded.

It was an interesting thing with these two.

Vincent's keen sense of smell courtesy of Chaos and the long time he had occupied his body, often picked up the smell of arousal and lust that spiked the air between Cloud and Tifa.

The smells would vary in notes, when Vincent observed small things.

Tifa's would peak when Cloud smiled at her, or when he has made her something to eat or drink.

Cloud's intensified when Tifa came down first thing in the morning in her pyjamas and sporting bed hair.

When she bends over to place the chicken in the oven.

Or when she laughed at some joke he cracked.

Or…basically Cloud was one horny man most of the time.

And they still haven't got together.

Much to the annoyance of everyone else who watched them dance around each other.

Smelling such smells leaves Vincent a nasty headache and it was something Red could sympathise with. Red's own keen sense of feline smell meant he too smelt the same thing as Vincent and after a while of smelling such thick scent, it was a little overpowering and often the two of them made excuses to retire elsewhere.

Something else niggled him.

He took a deep inhalation of air and realised what it was.

For a while now he could smell the tang of Lavender despite there being none around the bar.

He had put it down to either there being a rooftop garden he couldn't see despite it being out of season for such thing to grow, or someone's scent was being carried on the wind.

He knew there was no one living across from him who had that scent so it must be someone who had walked by the area or visiting someone.

Whatever it was, it was a nice smell that made Vincent think of his younger years as a Turk.

Mentally shaking the unwanted, out-dated memories away, he closed his book and sipped the last bit of wine.

Placing the cork in the bottle of open unconsumed wine, he turned off the main light and undressed in the darkness until he was left only in his trousers.

He seated himself on the wide windowsill and drew one knee up and rested his right arm on top of it.

The still night was calming on Vincent's raging mind.

He was unused to all this peace and stillness; he's been fighting and moving ever since he was awoken from his sleep. Such times have taught him to be alert always and take silence for something that is about to happen.

And now?

Does standing still amongst silence mean there's trouble brewing on the horizon?

Right now, he's acting like a peace-drunken soldier but what happens after then?

All he known is to fight but what if there are no fights to be had?

His head fell back against the window as he closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was time to place his guns into retirement?

Especially now since he lost his prized weapon that was Cerberus.

It has fallen somewhere in his descent against Omega and he had no hope it had survived such a ferocious blast.

Maybe fate was trying to tell him something.

So what does he do now?

Shall he let himself go with the flow and see if time can heal him?

Can he let himself allow another woman close to him?

Can he let himself live once more?

Somewhere a dog howled into the night, disturbing some animal in a nearby street, no doubt going through the bins.

He could hear the old man's radio was on across the street.

He opened his eyes and observed the woman who stepped out to water her plants under the porch light, where lazy moths bumped against the light bulb.

He saw in a window across from him two small children looking at the stars, ignoring their father calling for them to go to bed until he turned the lights off.

Heard Tifa's laughter floating from below him as Cloud closed the cupboard doors as the strong tang of coffee drifted from the open kitchen window.

Would a woman ever laugh with him like that?

Could she see past these scars and see some resemblance of a man beneath these layers he erected over the many years?

He held out his arms before him and trailed his eyes over the spidery scars that meandered across his white skin. The moon made them glow silver where the skin texture was rougher where it had fused back together.

He could see dotted scars where staples have been crudely inserted to hold him together.

The veins in his wrists bulged as he flexed his fingers; he was human again despite being left with the biggest scar of all.

His immortality.

He was distracted by something and his eyes dropped down to look in the street below where he saw it.

A wolf sitting across the street watching him, its luminous eyes glistened in the weak street lamp.

It quirked its head to one side, watching him then rose up to all four feet and trotted away.

Vincent watched it until it turned a corner.

There were plenty of strays in the area but none that looked well fed as that wolf and who would own a wild animal like that?

He unseated himself from his window perch and sank down onto the bed, the cool sheets against his back as he brought one arm back to rest under his head.

He stared at the moon, watching how it glowed, the individual pox mark-like craters across its surface and the green haze of the life stream illuminating the few wispy clouds in the night sky.

He allowed his eyes to close and signed, the smell of lavender reaching his mind just as sleep claimed him.

He dreamt of her smile and the good old times, long before he fell onto the path that lead him to where he was today.


	3. Search and Rescue

This is just a heads up; the chapters will eventually become R rated due to mature contents. So far in, I presume this story to be at the level it's rated. Let me know if you digress!

As usual…don't owe anything to do with Square Enix and the likes…

please review!

* * *

The days of tranquillity and peace was rudely interrupted by the sudden disappearance of Denzel and Marlene. 

They went out into the street to meet their friends but were not seen since.

Tifa was hysterical, she spent the past three hours looking when she realised the children were late returning home. The neighbours' children have told her they've not seen them and have failed to turn up to play.

Yuffie and Shelke have returned from their fruitless search and upon seeing Tifa's distress, rang Cloud and Vincent to tell them to come home.

Vincent was the first to enter the bar, noticing it was closed despite it being a busy Saturday night on the street.

After trying to calm the women down and prevent Yuffie from storming out the bar and apprehending the first innocent she sees to interrogate, he managed to have planned a more thorough search of the city and it's nooks and crannies.

By the time Cloud came home in obvious confusion, close neighbours and regular bar patrons have gathered inside Final Heaven to help search for the two missing children.

It was a dark night out there and those children will no doubt be very scared where ever they are.

* * *

Denzel's face itched as the rough material that was covering his head grazed his cheeks. 

His teeth chattered against the cold draughts and his wrists burned and throbbed from the tight bonds that held them rigid.

He could hear Marlene next to him whimpering and occasionally she would blindly bump into his side, no doubt a hood was over her face too.

The air inside the hood was getting hot and he tried to twice, shake it off and was twice hit on the back of the head by a rough palm and the man's cruel voice threatened him.

He could hear the crank of metal and felt gravity slowly descend as he came to realise he was in a lift when it jerked to a stop.

"Move."

A large hand pushed him forward and behind him he heard Marlene fall and cry out.

Rage shook his thin arms as he tried to struggle in his captor's grip but to no avail.

The man sniggered then pulled him to a stop.

"What have you here?" a new voice echoed in the room.

"Two brats, found them wandering the streets." The captor's voice rumbled.

"Let's have a look shall we?"

The hood on Denzel's face was jerked off and he blinked against the light that sharply stung his brain.

He looked to see Marlene staring up at him with teary eyes, fear making her lips tremble as she tried to hold in a sob.

Denzel looked around the room; it was dimly lit with a small chandelier, making the red walls of the room enclosed like a womb. There was a dark round table with several glasses of wine and an arsenal of weapons various people took off their person to sit down comfortably on the chairs that littered the room.

A fog of smoke hovered below the ceiling as men smoked their cigarettes, the thin wisps dancing to the ceiling where it joins the haze that made the room altogether dream-like.

Denzel's nose wrinkled as he smelt stale sweat and leather, reminding him painfully of Cloud's biker jacket he would wear on cold days. it was hung up in the cloakroom where its smell fermented the room with the unique scent.

A man rose from his chair, he wore black jeans and a stained white top that seen better days. He stopped before the two children and eyed them.

"Twenty Gils for the pair."

Denzel's fury peaked and he opened his mouth to yell no one was going to sell him when his captor, seeing his mouth opened placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and pulled his roughly back.

"No deal! you better look damn harder than that, they are good looking kids and who knows what they could fetch in your brothel."

The stranger before them raised his cigar to his mouth and lazily eyed both the children again.

"Fifty for the girl."

"No! Seventy!

There was a ruckus of noise as various bidders yelled out their prices that slowly crept up. Several men rose to their feet to look closer at Denzel and Marlene, eying them in such a way that their flesh crawled.

"Look at her little lips!" one crooned and went to reach for Marlene when a new voice broke through the din that stilled the chaos.

"I want them."

The men that were standing turned to see the new speaker, allowing Denzel a chance to see too.

He saw a figure seated in the dark corner, the light dimly shone off the leather trousers and jacket the stranger wore. With white long hair framing a pale face, the stranger looked no more that a ghost until he rose to his feet and turned to look at the scene before them.

Denzel's eyes widened as he took in the weirdest thing he seen, before him stood a woman with a fair face one could call pretty but the eyes made his soul shudder.

They were bright yellow that reminded him of Nanaki's own eyes.

"I want them." she spoke once more, the tension in the room mounted as her cool, calculating voice echoed off the walls.

A man went to open his mouth but she simply raised a gloved hand.

"You all owe me many things as well as your lives so I'll be talking the children. I got a use for them."

The men stepped away from her as she cut a path through the crowd and stood before the children.

Reaching out with both arms, she pulled their bounded arms towards her as she left the room and down a long grimy corridor.

"Let us go!" Marlene screamed but the woman remained frozen, her appearance reminding Denzel of Kadaj and his brothers, sending further chills up his spine.

She escorted them down a maze of corridors, lifts and stairs until she stepped into a room and closed the door then locked it.

"Are you two alright?" she asked, the tense chill in her eyes melted to reveal genuine concern.

Marlene response was to faint, the clear shock of the whole situation taking it toll on her small body.

The woman's arms caught her and scooped her up to carry her to a made bed lying in the corner of a dimly lit room.

Without thinking of his own safety, Denzel ran after her and pushed her out of the way, shielding Marlene's body with his own.

"Don't touch her! What have you done to her?"

The woman stepped back, her hands help up in a sign of retreat, "She's fainted but she's going to be alright, that if you let me look at her?"

"Why should I trust you?" Denzel snapped.

"You shouldn't but you're going to have to if you want to get out of here and return home. You do have a home?"

Denzel stared at her for a long moment then nodded weakly.

"We have a home."

The woman nodded her head once then brushed her long white hair back behind her pale ears, ignoring the child's curiosity regarding her yellow eyes.

Picking up a pair of scissors, she ignored Denzel's protest and pulled his wrists forward and snipped off the cable that dug into his skin.

The boy looked at her, confusion clear on his face.

Why was she helping them? Wasn't she the bad guy with all those men?"

"Have you got a name?"

"Denzel, she's Marlene." Denzel indicated to the sleeping girl as he rubbed his wrists.

She turned and cut the cable from Marlene's wrists then held them up to see the angry red welts circling them.

Denzel looked around the room to see as well as the bed pushed up against the bare concrete walls; there was a wardrobe next to a small kitchen and a chair before a small table in the middle of the room. He could see another door which was open and the faint light shone off the shiny washbasin confirming Denzel's predictions it was a bathroom.

The woman was kneeling next to the bed, applying a plaster to Marlene's scratched knee.

"Here, apply some of this to your wrists, it will sting though." She handed him a white tube of cream and he did so, ignoring the pain as he dabbed it on his ripped skin.

She waited for him to finished then began wrapping a bandage round each wrist and expertly knotted it carefully, minding the raw skin beneath.

She did the same to Marlene then rose to her feet and headed over to the cupboard above a stove.

She opened the door and reached in, pulling out two cans and opened them.

"You need your energy, will soup be alright?"

Denzel weakly nodded.

He watched Marlene sleep, noting how peaceful she looked despite the horror of the situation.

There was a clank as something swung open, making Denzel jump and turn to see a wolf step through a flap installed in the door.

"Typical Vinnie, you always turn up when there's food out." The woman muttered as the wolf lumbered over to the woman and sat at her feet, watching the counter where she was slicing bread with avid interest, waiting for any stray crumbs to fall.

Not receiving any attention from its mistress, it turned and saw Denzel, rose to his feet, it approached the boy and sat next to him, pushing its wet nose into Denzel's hand.

"Your dog's called Vinnie?" Denzel asked, petting the wolf on the head as the stranger turned with a hot bowl of soup and sliced bread and placed them on the table.

"Yes, well he's actually called Vincent. Please eat."

Denzel did so, seating himself at the table and attacked the food with gusto, feeling the hot vegetable soup warming his body.

He watched the woman walk over to Marlene and attempted to wake her by dabbing a cool flannel across her forehead.

The girl stirred then shrank back for her touch, as she stared at the woman in fear.

"Marlene!" Denzel hurried over to her and smiled, "You're safe! This woman is helping us return home."

Vinnie joined them too, pushing his white snout pass the woman to lick the girl's hand.

Marlene's face softened, looking at the scary woman with the yellow cat eyes to Denzel's smiling face then to the soft doggie which she began to pet.

"There's some food for you if you want it?" The woman stepped back and picked up a chair nearby and placed it at the table across from Denzel's vacant seat.

Marlene slowly approached the table, clearly not trusting her still and climbed up onto the chair where she'd placed a bowl of soup before her.

"What's your doggie called?" she asked, feeding it a small corner of her crusts.

"Vincent."

""I know someone called Vincent but he's not a dog."

"Yeah? I take it he's a man then?" She placed a glass of water in front of the girl and then handed Denzel some more bread since he finished his.

She pulled out her phone when something caught Denzel's eyes.

"Whoa, nice gun!"

The woman looked at him then unzipped her jacket to reveal the gun he was talking about, sitting in its shoulder holster.

"It's a special gun...Where do you live?"

"At Final Heaven, it's a bar."

She looked at the boy, "The place owned by Tifa and Cloud?"

"That's the place."

"You're their children?"

"Yeah, well actually I'm adopted and Marlene's father is Uncle Barret."

The woman said no more, except she rang a number on her phone and walked away to sit on the bed where she quietly had a conversation with whoever it was on the other end.

Both Denzel and Marlene quietly ate, occasionally they fed and talked to Vinnie who whined whenever he felt left out.

There was a sound of the lock opening and the door opened to reveal a very familiar face who grinned at both children.

"Reeve!" Denzel left his chair to stand before the man who looked him over with concern.

Marlene ran into his legs where Reeve chuckled and picked her up.

"Am I glad to see you two, are you both ok?"

The children talked wildly about how they were apprehended and how the stranger has rescued them to how cute Vinnie was and would Tifa allow them to have a dog.

"You'll have to ask her when I get you two home. Everyone very worried about you and they are all looking for you." Reeve smiled as Marlene placed her arms around his neck.

"Thank you. I'll see you at the headquarters shall I?"

The woman nodded then weakly waved at both children who waved back as Reeve opened the door and left the small room with the cute dog and the strange woman with the cat eyes behind.

* * *

Reeve pulled up in his car then killed the engine. The rain fell on the window screen in a cascade of noise as a heavy shower swept the city. 

He looked across to Denzel and Marlene who feel asleep soon after they drove off.

He reached out and gently shook the boy's shoulder to wake him.

"We here?"

Reeve nodded, he opened his door and climbed out and jogged to the passenger side door where he opened it and leant in to unbuckle Marlene who slept on. He carefully picked up the sleeping girl and hurried over to the overhang that protected the walkway in front of the bar.

Denzel closed the door behind him and followed the man who opened the bar door and ushered him in.

Reeve looked round the empty bar until he heard a voice.

"We're closed." He looked to see Tifa sitting with her back to them in a booth, soggy tissues scattered on the table in front of her as she blew her nose noisily.

"I brought two children home." Reeve spoke, watching how the woman turned in her seat and shouted the children's names, sobbing as she ran over and pulled them to her.

Marlene cried in Tifa's arms, clearly distressed by the upset fighter who kept kissing Denzel's head as he hugged her tightly.

"Where were you? What happened?. What happened to your wrists?. Who hurt you?" came her barrage of questions as Reeve pulled out his mobile to ring Cloud.

"Let's get the children comfortable first." He replied.

Within half an hour the once empty bar was now crowded with soaking wet people relieved at the safe return of the two children.

Barret was hugging his daughter repeatedly, after a frantic flight to Edge where Cid flew him in the Shera along with Shera herself and Nanaki who happened to be staying with the pilot at the time.

A soaking Cloud was the last to turn up along with a very soggy looking Vincent who windswept hair remained plastered to his pale face despite shaking it loose numerous times. Clearly he'd got a ride back with Cloud on the back of Fenrir.

The two children were put to bed after Tifa noticed they were falling asleep on their feet and free drinks were handed out to those that volunteered in the search.

"What happened?" Cloud asked Reeve after the crowd died down leaving AVALANCHE behind in the now closed bar.

"The children were apprehended on the street by several men who took them to be sold as child labourers. Luckily a colleague of mine rescued them and bought them to me."

"Fuck!" Cid broke the silence first.

"No bloody bastard ever lays a finger on Marlene again!" Barret roared until he was quietly placated by Tifa.

Yuffie however, took longer to placate and eventually Vincent reached a hand out and gripped her shoulder, cut her off mid-rant.

"I wasn't aware this problem is becoming an epidemic." Cloud frowned, "Just how bad is this?"

"There's no law to govern all the streets and many are taking advantage of it. The black market is rife in paraphernalia found in the old Shinra ruins and perhaps objects of a more…deadly mature are ending up in the wrong hands. There's so much corruption that I could be here all night telling you."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Reeve scratched his head and looked somewhat awkward, "Because it isn't something else for AVALANCHE to clean up. You guys deserve a break from saving the world every once in a while."

Cloud frown deepened as he regarding everyone for several seconds before replying, "When something threatens my friends and family, which it has then I want to do something to stop it."

There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of them.

"Thank you, I'll later inform you of what you can do." Reeve smiled and turned to the door.

"Thank whoever it was that saved the children, I'm eternally indebted to them." Tifa weakly smiled.

"I will pass the message on." And with that Reeve left, the door slid to a close with a quiet click, leaving the room in silence as the reunited AVALANCHE pondered the new problem at hand.

"I should make up the guest rooms as you're all staying." Tifa broke the silence and rose to her feet.

"I'll give you a hand." Sheera volunteered along with Shelke and eventually Yuffie after Red nudged her to do so.

"I guess AVALANCHE is back in business…" Cid drawled as he pulled out his lighter and lit a cigarette.


	4. Night Rider

I'm beginning to wish I restarted this story with the more saucier beginning. This story is suppose to be more about Vincent's sexual reawakening with his past and presence combined.

Perhaps I should delete this story and restart it that way again…hmm…what you think?

As per usual I don't owe anything to do with Square Enix.

It seems fate is insistent I'm to be drawn closer and tighter in the web that lies between us for me to have rescued your friends' children.

I mean, of all the children that dwell in Edge, I happen to rescue them on that particular day.

And now Reeve tells me you and the rest of AVALANCHE are to help us in the quest to regain control and restore peace and prosperity amongst this city.

Can't you just stay out of my life Vincent?

I don't want to be near you again…I fear I'd lose it.

I got sucked in once and I won't be sucked in again.

You've just come out of the shower; your naked body seems to glow in the soft lamp light in your bedroom. Your body was always majestic to admire, I remember how soft your skin felt and the taste of it after we made love.

You seat yourself down on the bed and tilt your head forward, towelling your hair dry which causes the muscles in your back to flex and slide smoothly under that pale skin.

The silvery scars only seem to enhance your beauty, reminding me of the fragility your body once pocessed.

You pull on a black pair of boxers and idly wander round your room, towel in your hands as you dried your arms.

Eventually you seat yourself at the table and check your phone.

I'm surprised.

A Techno phobic Vinnie with a swanky new mobile phone.

Remember it was always me that dealt with anything technological?

You never did understand computers and the likes…

Though I doubt you remember it for it seems you don't remember me.

…perhaps that's for the best…

"But I wanna dog!" Marlene whined, she pouted as she looked up from her crayon drawing at Tifa who eyed the girl back.

"No." was her final reply, causing the girl to slam her crayon down, sending it across the table and into Denzel's arm.

"Marlene! I'm working!" he moaned as he flicked it back to her.

"Wat'cha drawing?" Marlene leant across the table in the bar's booth to try and see but Denzel covered it with his arm, "Wait until I'm finished!"

Ignoring the children as she worked behind the bar, Tifa readied the bar for that night, reopening after two days since the children returned home.

She chopped a lemon as she hummed to herself.

Yuffie was upstairs going over her extensive Materia collection.

Cloud was out with Barrett and Cid.

Shera was in the kitchen, washing that morning's breakfast dishes as she talked to Red, whilst Vincent was out picking up Shelke from her appointment. With the WRO nurse to wean her off the last of the Mako her small body craved.

And she was here watching the children as she worked, her minding mulling over the recent events and thanking her lucky stars that the woman with a doggie, according to the children have managed to save them.

The door opened, disturbing the bell situated above it, causing it to jingle as Vincent came in followed by an exhausted looking Shelke who had a plaster over the middle of her arm where the injections were administered.

She trudged up the stairs watched by Vincent and Tifa until they heard her bedroom door close. And the bed springs rattle above them.

"How did it go?" Tifa asked Vincent as she made him a drink and placed it before him.

He nodded his thanks and took a sip, "She's progressing well and her medical treatment should end soon."

"That's good news!" Tifa smiled but before she could continue Marlene piped up once again.

"Vincent, do you like doggies?"

"Not this again Marlene! You're not having a dog here and that's final." Tifa snapped as Vincent looked at the sulking girl with a small smile upon his lips, he decided to answer her question anyway.

"I like dogs."

Marlene shyly smiled at having an answer from one of the quietest men she knew and turned to resume her drawing.

Drawn by the intense look on Denzel's face as he drew his picture, Vincent wandered over to the children and looked at first, Marlene picture of what looked to be a huge dog with a somewhat human face and green legs.

Then looked at Denzel's drawing and blinked.

"Is that my old gun?" he asked as Denzel looked up at him then back at the picture.

"No, it's the woman's gun. I saw it under her jacket as it looked cool. Suppose it does look a bit like your gun." Denzel tilled his head to regard his own drawing through Vincent's eyes.

Vincent's eyes narrowed, "Did she tell you her name?"

"No."

Before Vincent could enquire any further Marlene's hand grabbed his and yanked it to get his attention.

"For you." She shyly handed him her drawing, "It's a doggie as you like doggies."

"Marlene, it wasn't a dog, it was a wolf!" Denzel corrected.

"Doggie!" Marlene retaliated with her tongue stuck out.

"Wol…ah whatever." Denzel gave up and resumed drawing.

Something clicked in Vincent's mind.

"Denzel, you're a good artist…perhaps you could draw me a picture of this woman who saved you?"

Denzel looked at him then nodded, he reached for a fresh sheet of paper and begun his task.

Marlene looked up at him upset and Vincent's mind back peddled, "Can you do the same for me Marlene?"

She nodded happily.

Heading back to his stool at the bar with Marlene's drawing in hand, he saw Tifa was looking at him.

"That was a good idea, don't know why it never crossed my mind before?" Tifa murmured.

Vincent said nothing.

Twenty minutes later, Marlene and Denzel came over and slid their drawings on the counter where Vincent leant forward to regard it.

As predicted, Marlene's was of little help as hers showed a woman with multi-coloured body parts severely out of proportion with each other.

However Denzel's drawing showed a woman clad in black with long white hair and…

"She has yellow eyes?" Vincent looked at the boy, surely it was some colour flaw and Denzel used the wrong coloured crayon.

"She had eye's that looked like Red's.." Denzel confirmed and Vincent wordlessly passed the drawing to Tifa who looked carefully over the details.

"It would be interesting to see if we can track down this woman so I could thank her personally." Tifa slowly spoke as Vincent took back the drawing and looked at it silently.

Eventually he spoke, "I'm more interested in the woman. Her…appearance isn't natural. I wonder what happened to her and…who she is."

The barrel of my gun was pressed against this man's forehead as he jabbered and whimpered.

This man was one of the fallen who I managed to get alone and am now going to put an end to his crimes.

All it took was one pull of the trigger and his body slumped back, toppling to the right as his wide, dull eyes stared up into the night sky. His blood was like ink as it turned the puddles nearby red.

I searched him.

Nothing except several Gils shoved in a wallet and some drugs.

Taking them both, I left the alleyway.

I know that by the time authorities find him, all the evidence would have washed away and he would be another figure added to the numerous muggings that occurred in this city.

My mark was down.

I pull out my phone and dialled Rufus's number.

It rings twice then he answers.

"It's done."

I hang up.

My eyes see a small boy huddled in a doorway, one of the forgotten orphans from the recent war with Deep Ground.

Pulling out the dead man's Gils, I shove them into his hand and continue walking.

I could hear over the faint hum of nearby traffic his voice thanking me.

I don't want his thanks.

I walk for a while in this back road behind the popular streets that were lit up, illuminated to tantalise locals into the restaurants where fresh meat was cooked in the windows, and bars with smoky atmospheres and live music.

I see my motorcycle parked in a dark corner, its red bodywork gleaming in the faint light.

It's my last pride and joy in this world and I love it.

I've worked on it over the many years, accumulating parts for it from sources of a dubious nature. But I couldn't care less when my baby's sporting the best gadgets on the planet.

I mount it, loving how the leather seat slides against my leather trousers and the cold metal seeps through the fabric of my clothes to chill me to the deepest bone.

Nothing else thrills me as much as this.

Bringing it to life with the flick of the ignition; I roar down the road that turns into the main motorway and ignoring the irritated honk of car horns as I weave in and out of traffic like a fish would swim amongst coral in the sea.

I'm feeling rather poetic tonight to be comparing myself to a fish.

I turned off into a busy road heaving with people finding nightly entertainment in the red light district and parked up outside a bar.

The kind of place that charges two Gils for a beer and seven for a blowjob.

And let's not forget their special, gang bang hour every third Saturday of the month.

The barman nods at me, I never liked him as he's seen too much yet never raises a finger unless it was for profit.

He gives me a drink.

That tells me he's got some news for me.

"You asked me to keep an ear out for some news about whoever been buying up all the Shinra stuff that on the market." He rasps as he leans across the sticky, dirty counter.

His breath stinks.

I only nod.

"Well, heard on the wind it's some big cooperation guy who owns a pharmaceutical company. He pays top Gils for the stuff and now a lot of sellers go directly to him when they think they got something that could interest this guy."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Mostly old field notes and research from the laboratories of Shinra and Deepground that's been salvaged from the wreckages by people looking to make a fast Gil or two.

He especially expressed an interest in artefacts related to the late Professor Hojo and Dr Crescent."

He leans back to see if the news he had pleased me.

I'm not giving him the satisfaction.

Instead, I pull out the drugs I got from the man I shot and hand them to him.

Edge wouldn't miss another overdosed bartender if he did overdose one day.

I like to think I'm slowly killing him.

He smiles at me, "Happy to do business."

I sip the beer as I mull over the information he has given me.

Looks like I got some research to do.


	5. Warehouse Raid

I decided to carry on with this on, this story is a better and more smoothly flowing story than my other attempts so I apologise for the mucking around!

Please do review, they do motivate me and make me churn out the work quicker especially now the muses are working overtime and I'm on a roll!

Don't owe FF7 or the characters created by Square Enix.

* * *

Warehouse Raid

"Ready?"

"Yeah! I'm always !£-ing rady!"

"Where's your pack then old man?" Yuffie pointed out as Vincent watched the pilot look over his shoulder to realised he hasn't got his pack.

Muttering curses, he looked around to see it was where he left it on the table after they had a quick briefing from Reeve.

They were in the attempted process of leaving to join up with a band of WRO soldiers who were waiting for them outside.

They were to await orders from a WRO officer who would direct them to a location where there was a group of criminals gathered to carry out their business of people trafficking and weapons trading.

Cid pulled on his pack and took his spear from Yuffie's hand as they walked out to see a small group of soldiers clad in black.

"Vincent Valentine?" a man stepped forward and held out his hand which Vincent shook.

"It's a pleasure to have you assist us tonight on this mission. I'm Corporal Snow and these are my men." The Corporal grinned as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder where the rest of his men nodded in acknowledgment.

"This is Yuffie and Cid." Vincent introduced the ninja and the pilot.

"We're just waiting for pick-up which will take us up to the drop off point where we will hope to establish contact with our guide who'll walk us through the mission."

"Who's the guide?" Cid asked as he eyed the small van that trundled up.

"Someone who've established links inside the criminal underworld." Snow replied, he gave his men the command to load up in the van.

They piled in and closed the doors behind them, seated on the van's floor in darkness as the vehicle rumbled down the road.

"Is the contact reliable?" Cid frowned, clearly not trusting someone he's not going to meet before to oversee the mission.

"I've worked with the contact before and she is trusted by both Rufus and Reeve." Snow pulled out his map and quietly referred to it.

"The contact's a woman?" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Apparently so. I've never met her."

"Don't you find that hard? I mean, trusting someone who you haven't met with your lives?"

"Yuffie, Corporal Snow knows what he's doing." Vincent looked up from checking his gun.

The young woman looked at him in the darkness of the van with annoyance but she said nothing more.

"Now I know why they put you with Yuffie. You're the only one who can shut her up!" Cid cackled, earning a kick in the shin from the ninja.

There was only the sound of them making themselves ready, the hollow click of the gun barrels loading, rasp of zippers being open and shut and the rustle of canvas bags being closed.

"When we disembark, I want a man every ten metres round the rendezvous point. Maintain silence at all time." Snow ordered.

The van slowed to a stop and the Corporal reached out in the darkness and pulled the handle open, revealing they were outside some derelict warehouses in the slums of the city where the regeneration effort haven't yet reached.

Vincent pulled himself out and stepped to one side as he watched the silent soldiers hurry outwards and merged into the shadows of walls and rubble as Snow pulled out a small radio and wiggled an ear piece with an attached mouthpiece into his ear.

He turned a few dials and for a long drawn out moment of tense silence, no one moved nor made a sound.

Vincent's sensitive ears picked up a change in frequency on the radio as Snow quietly muttered some sort of identification code.

There was a hushed voice in response and Snow rose from his knee to wave over his second in command who jogged over and stood next to Vincent.

"Contact been established. We're to move down this alley." He paused as he held his arm up parallel with an empty street that somewhat looked more sinister as grey shades of buildings loomed out the darkness.

"Contact has warned me that this area is known to have frequent patrols but they are sloppy and whatever booby traps they've laid as a deterrent are easily avoidable. This is our rendezvous point in case we need to pull out. I'm waiting for contact to have visual on us then we move out." Snow briefed.

Yuffie looked around her and then gripped Cid's arm who went to yell at her then remembered he was to be silent. Instead he spat in a hushed voice, "Get off me!"

"I'm scared, this area looks creepy."

He tried to shake her off, "I don't want your grubby hands on me, grab Vincent instead."

Yuffie did so, her fingers gripping his fingers as he looked at her, his dark red eyes peering over the edge of his cowl, faintly luminescence like that of a cat's.

"Yuffie…that's…my firing arm."

She hesitantly let go of his hand then like a human limpet attached herself to his clawed arm, her hand in contact with the cool metal as her fingers carefully avoided his sharp talons.

The gunman said nothing but looked at Cid who grinned.

"Move out." was Snow's quiet command.

They slowly walked down the street, stepping over rubble and rubbish that littered the pavements. Smells of rotting trash wafted on the cool wind, causing old curtain to lazily dancing against the broken windows of forgotten bedrooms.

Yuffie hands gripped Vincent's arm so tightly that he couldn't move it, his sleek movements were reduced to halted steps as the Ninja besides him hesitantly walked.

"It's like some freaking ghost town." Yuffie muttered.

Cid stumbled; bring the team to a halt who looked back at him to check what caused the disturbance.

"Sorry." Cid sheepishly waved his hands.

The soldiers resumed their careful, calculating gait, their weapons poised and ready to fire at any second. Snow's fingers crept up to his ear piece, pushing it in to hear the faint voice guiding him, he looked to his left then with his hand silently indicated they were to turn the left corner into a side alley.

Vincent slid his arm from Yuffie grasp and walked ahead of her, his hand always hovering above his gun which sat in its holster against his right leg. The cold walls sandwiched them closely on either sides as they worked their way through the alley, carefully avoiding any rubble and at one point, climbed over a fallen part of a wall.

They exited into a small square where an old, crumbling fountain sat in its heart.

Snow listened to his silent command then looked up and located their next target.

"That warehouse there, number two-zero-eleven. Approach with absolute silence and caution."

They silently slinked across the square, being one with the shadows. The team reached the metal door which was shut tight with no visible way of opening it apart from a keypad next to the doorframe.

Snow listened to his instructions further, his face tense as Vincent eyed the keypad whilst Cid and Yuffie were crouched next to him.

"Beyond this door, on the far end of the warehouse is another room which is where the target is situated. Silence at all times." Snow whispered, his men and the three members of AVALANCHE nodded and tensely readied themselves as Snow quietly spoke to their mysterious guide.

He reached to the keypad and slowly pressed the number sequence relayed to him.

The door lock quietly clicked open and Snow slowly pushed it inwards and slid in, quickly followed by the rest of them who tensely pressed themselves against the cold metal walls.

At the far end of the dusty warehouse was a door which was ajar, allowing yellow light to slice the darkness and reveal the warehouse was full of old machinery of the sorts.

They could hear the faint laughter of men and even see tendrils of cigar smoke escaping through the open door.

Vincent pulled his gun free, indicating to Yuffie she too, should ready herself. She silently pulled her Conformer free and held it tensely as Cid's white knuckles gripped the shaft of his spear.

They edged closer and closer to the door, now able to discern individual noises. There was a radio playing faintly, sounds of boots threading the dusty floor and more ominously was the sound of weapons being checked over, the rasp of the cocking handle of a gun sliding against smooth metal made Vincent's nerves tighten.

Snow peered in quickly then jerked his head back.

"As confirmed, there are eight men in there. My men will take them out whilst AVALANCHE will make sure all the exits are covered." Snow whispered, they all nodded with grim faces and adrenaline pumping as they slowly arranged themselves around the door to get in as quick as possible.

Snow held his hand up as all watched him silently count down, each finger curling down until there was only one finger up and he raised his boot and kicked the door open.

"WRO! FREEZE!" Snow yelled as the other soldiers yelled the same thing whilst they trained their gun sights on their individual targets.

Pandemonium broke out as the eight men responded by either trying to escape or retaliated in kind; crates of guns fell to the floor as gunfire broke out.

Vincent leapt down the stairs, ignoring Yuffie's exclamation as his eyes settled to two large men wrenching open a door and disappearing through it.

"Let's get'em!" Cid bellowed as he ran towards the closing door, jumping over a fallen chair as he went with Vincent and Yuffie close on his heels.

They slammed through the door which lead back outside into the dark night, they hurried down the metal fire escape, ignoring the shrill moans of protest from the weakened metal under their feet.

Before they could go any further, two gunshots echoed in the night.

The strangely similar dirge made the three of them pause in their step.

Cid and Yuffie looked at Vincent who in a rare moment, showed visible confusion.

"That sounded like your gun Cerberus." Cid spoke, confirming they were all thinking the same thing.

Vincent's old gun had a particular ring to it when fired that the rest of AVALANCHE were able to recognise it.

Such a sound was the same as the two gunshots that just split the night air.

"Two men are down!" Yuffie pointed to where two slumped heaps laid on the street.

They ran over to where the two escapees laid, bullet holes in both their foreheads, a cold execution by someone with remarkable sniper skills.

"They've been shot from behind." Cid rose from where he was crouched next to one of the bodies.

"Whoever done this must have been aware of tonight's raid." Yuffie calculated as she turned when she heard footsteps behind her as Snow approached them.

"We've apprehended three of the men, the others we were forced to take down." The soldier informed them, his eyes dropped to the two bodies. "Excellent work…"

"We didn't shoot them. Someone else did. Someone who wasn't in our party but was aware of tonight's actions." Vincent finally rose to his feet where he was looking at the wounds left from the bullet. It was similar to the work of Cerberus and Vincent was now struggling to put the pieces together.

His old gun was a work of art; very few examples existed of it. For one to have shot these men tonight would be a very rare thing. He remembered when he was given Cerberus along with the few Turks of the time who were of excellent marksmanship.

In fact, Cerberus was one half of a twin, for guns of that calibre were often made in pairs. The person who had the other half was most likely dead unless their gun fell into wrong hands…perhaps Cerberus was still intact after falling from the explosion he was in against Omega…

That was the more likely option.

Vincent broke away from his musings as Snow's face wrinkled in concern then surprise. He pressed his ear piece firmer into his ear, "What?"

There was a faint voice firmly repeating whatever it was which made Snow abruptly turn and jog back to the door leading to the room where clean-up has begun.

"What was that about?" Yuffie looked at Cid who shrugged as he brought out a cigarette.

Vincent wordlessly followed Snow, ignoring Cid's name-calling and Yuffie telling him off for being rude, they followed him still.

* * *

The three AVALANCHE members walked back into the derelict warehouse, unaware they were being watched by a yellow pair of eyes from a nearby rooftop where she could see the action before her.

Her gun was still smoking from when she fired those two shots. She raised the barrel of her beloved weapon and pursed her lips before blowing the smoke away.

"Snow, check the back of the warehouse, there are two old storage lockers. I believe there to be some people inside. Contact Reeve when they are found. My work is done here tonight."

She pulled the earpiece out and turned her radio off as she watched several WRO trucks pull up and began unloading extra soldiers.

She wasn't going to go just yet, she'll leave when the last man leaves.

* * *

"She said what?" Yuffie exclaimed as she looked at Snow who was picking a door lock.

"There are some people locked in some storage lockers. I think this door leads to them." The Commander groaned as he tried to prise the lock open.

"Stand aside." Vincent muttered as he raised his gun and shot the lock.

The door swung inwards under the force of the blast to reveal a dark room where there were two large metal doors that had matching draw bolts.

Pulling a torch from his webbing, Snow stepped over to one of the large metal doors and drew the bolt over and opened the door.

"Nothing in here."

Cid, impatiently walked over to the unopened door and yanked the bolt across and pulled the door which screeched on its rusty hinges.

"Shine some light 'ere." Cid drawled as Snow walked over and shone his torch into the small cramped space where a dozen or so scared faces stared back at him.

"They're all children!" Yuffie looked around Cid's body.

Snow pulled his mobile out and rang Reeve, asking for extra transport as Cid and Yuffie began to usher the scared children out of the dark room. They were mostly unhurt except a few scrapes and scratches but they all looked underfed and their clothes have seen better days.

"They're all orphans." Vincent observed.

"Where can they go? The WRO base is not a good place for them to stay." Yuffie looked up from checking on a small girl hugging a rag doll.

"Tifa."

* * *

To say Tifa was pleased to see them return was a bit of an understatement as they were followed by seven children. The rest Reeve have managed to find their families and are currently being reunited with their loved ones. These children were only staying the night until tomorrow when they'll be moved on to a proper orphanage.

Vincent kept well away from the chaos the children created as the rest of AVALANCHE tried to bathe them, feed them and bed them. He could see their little faces staring at him curiously, wondering why he had red eyes and was weirdly dressed.

He side-stepped a girl who ran up the stairs, ignoring Shera's calling after her, to head into his bedroom where he stood at the foot of his bed and allowed himself to comically fall face down into the soft mattress and pull the pillow over his head to drown out the noises of children.

He hated children.

Especially now after a long day where he just wanted peace and quiet and instead got seven screaming brats running amok around the house.

Before succumbing to the temptation to smother himself, he forced himself to sit up right and look at Denzel and Marlene's drawings.

Marlene's dog was pinned into the corkboard above his bed next to Denzel's more accurately drawn white-haired woman.

He pulled from his trouser pocket his phone and selected Reeve's number from the drop down list and called him.

He answered on the third ring.

"Vincent, what can I do for you?"

"I'm looking for someone. A woman with white hair and yellow eyes, I believe you know her."

"Why do you want to know?"

"I wish to meet her."

There was a moment's silence, "And why's that Vincent?"

Vincent didn't response; Reeve took this as an answer.

"Vincent, I can't divulge this information to anyone, not even you as much as I'd like to. It's not my place to do so."

"You admit you know this woman?"

"I can admit that much, yes."

"Reeve, is she to be trusted?"

"I trust her with my own life and on several occasions she saved it."

"Thanks Reeve." Vincent didn't wait for Reeve's response, instead he hug up and folding his mobile away.

He'd met a dead end on that attempt but he wasn't put off just yet, something wasn't right and he was going to find out what it was.

* * *

You really should shut your window at night Vincent if you want to make a private phone call. I guess you were satisfied with whatever Reeve said to you about me.

Those pictures the children drew for you seem to be fascinating, especially the one of me…that kid has some great art talent but I'm not too worried, his young hands can't capture my face alone from memory and so the character has vagueness to it that I can tell frustrates you.

You start stripping apart one of your guns, cleaning it in quick, jerky motions which confirms to me that you're agitated.

Gun cleaned, you unbuckle your cloak and chuck it across the room where it pools on the arm of your chair that you've left vacant tonight in favour of standing before the mirror on the wall next to the bathroom door. You slowly undo the shirt buttons then before taking it off, you pull off your glove and then your gauntlet. You shrug out of the black material, the shirt gliding against your pale skin that glows white in the light.

You pull off your bandana and rake a hand through those dark tresses, allowing it to fall messily around your face, black strands obstructing your red eyes as you look at your reflection.

You're not at peace at all are you Vinnie?

You run white fingers across silver scars, flexing muscles here and there to see where those silvery lines end up, each telling their own torturous story back when you laid strapped to Hojo's table.

A scarred, tragic beauty.

We're two peas in a pod in this dark world aren't we Vinnie?

We fell and landed hard, like two fallen angels rejected from heaven…I guess I'm in a depressed mood tonight if I'm being poetic again.

You're running a finger over the largest scar of all, running from just below your neck, slicing down your body, halving the ribs and your stomach muscles to where it disappears beneath the leather band of your trousers.

You tilt your head to silently regard it, your face lost of all emotions and your eyes almost closed as you ponder something.

You release a sigh, and turn your back to the mirror, walking to your bed and sinking down on its softness, laying yourself out in the dark as the window let slices of light reflect over your body.

You're not alone Vincent, for in this world there is two of us. We've got our scars and broken wings, you got your sins and I got mine.


	6. Lost and Found

Thanks for the reviews!

as usual i dont owe anything to do with Square Enix.

**Lost and Found**

"Vinnie!" came a cry that made Vincent look out his bedroom window to look down at the source of the voice expecting Yuffie to be looking for him. It was the following day around mid-afternoon. Tifa was downstairs readying the bar after sending Yuffie to the shop for supplies, whilst Cloud was out working and the rest of AVALANCHE were out doing their own thing in the sunshine.

Instead of the ninja, he saw Marlene running towards a wolf-like dog which braved the child's over loving embrace with a whine.

It's the same dog he spotted in the area on several occasions and as he watched the scene below, he realised Marlene hasn't called for him but for the dog.

Exiting his room, he descended the stairs and out the bar's back door to still see the dog enjoying Marlene's attention.

"What's the dog's name?" Vincent crouched down next to the young girl who looked at him with her wide eyes.

"The woman said he's called Vinnie." Marlene replied, laughing when the dog pressed its wet nose to her cheek.

"Which woman is this?"

"The one that saved me, the cat eyed woman." Marlene looked at the gunman who ran a hand over the neck of the furry dog to find there was no collar. The dog rose to his feet and pushed past them, trotting off down the road at an unhurried pace.

"Vinnie!" Marlene went after him but Vincent placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you run in and check on your father? I think Vinnie is heading home."

The girl watched the gunman turn and follow the dog, remaining several paces behind the animal as it trotted down the various streets, pausing to sniff at something or to cock its leg against a wall or post.

Vincent noticed the dog was leading them down smaller and tighter lanes in the deeper part of Edge where the red light district was along with businesses and dealings of a dubious kind. Ignoring whores who called for him, and wrinkling his nose in distaste of the waft of smoke and the stale stench of sex that cloyed around a punter as he stepped out of a whorehouse into Vincent's path. Squeezing by, he hurried to catch up with the dog that now trotted up some steps and led him along a deserted lane where windows and doors were boarded up. The dog came to a door and pushed through a flap large enough to admit him.

Vincent looked at the property, its lower windows were boarded up and yet the top floor windows weren't. Stepping up to the door, he gave the worn handle a try, not surprised to find it was locked.

Pulling out a small gadget from one of his many secret pockets, Vincent placed it in the lock and fumbled for a moment until the door clicked opened and he stepped inside into the dark room. He heard the dog's paws pattering on the floor above him and walked over to the stairs in the hallway, pausing to look around the large lower room floor which lay empty except for dust and rags. The stairs creaked beneath each step he took, internally winching at the noise he was making as his red eyes surveyed the gloomy darkness as he stepped into the first room where the window was covered with a thick curtain that blocked much light. Shadows of a simple bed, table and chair and a washing basin loomed in the inky darkness as Vincent walked over to the bed, his feet slowly echoed across the wooden floor. A slight sound made him alert but as he went to turn around, the cool kiss of a gun barrel touched the back of his head.

Cursing silently, Vincent slowly raised his arms as a gloved hand caressed his leg and pulled the gun, a crude replacement for Cerberus from his holster.

"Walk slowly towards the wall and do not move." A soft voice commanded. The gun nudged him forward and he had no choice but to agree and slowly moved towards the wall, until his hands touched the cool plaster and he could feel his warm breathe bounce back upon his skin.

"What's your name?" the voice commanded.

"Vincent Valentine."

"You were supposed to be dead." The voice hissed, Vincent went to move his head but the gun pressed harder against the back of his head as a silent warning.

"No, I was sleeping."

"Hojo shot you dead, why are you still alive and looking none worst for wear?"

"How did…"

"Answer the damn question!"

"Dr Lucrecia Crescent managed to save me, She implanted a beast within me known as Chaos. It was what kept me alive these past years. I was a result of both Dr Crescent's and Hojo's experiments. Both with their own agendas in mind regarding me." Vincent spoke to the wall.

"Where have you been these long years?"

"Asleep in the basement of Shinra's mansion. It was my choice to do so. I needed time to rest and recuperate in order to become use to who I now am."

"And who are you exactly?" The voice demanded, there was no clue as to what gender the interrogator was and very little emotion was given away during the questions. The voice was cold and uncaring, rather like a Turk would be trained to handle interrogations.

"I told you, I'm Vincent Valentine." Vincent repeated, he heard the voice take a deep breath as if to brace themselves.

"The Vincent I knew never hid away from anything, the Vincent I knew who never garbed himself in red and black and stalk the shadows. Does anything remain inside of you of the old Vincent?" The voice's tone became a little softer as Vincent blinked.

"Somewhere…I just need time." He replied, "Do I know you?"

"Yes, you knew me. Whether or not you remember me is another matter. Like you, time has changed me. I believe I have something of yours."

There was a faint rasp of clothing being disturbed and something sharp was pressed into his gloved hand. He tightened his grip around it as the intruder's breath washed over him and he caught the faint smell of lavender. Against his cheek pressed cool lips in a small kiss and as the intruder pulled away, they whispered, "I hope the next time we'll meet it will be face to face."

There was a cool draft of air as the window opened and Vincent jerked around to see the curtain was pushed aside and the window was wide open, swinging in the wind. He ran to the window and peered outside but saw nothing in the empty streets below. In the pale light that barely lit these back streets of Edge, he opened the palm of his hand to see, glowing ghostly silver was the Cerberus charm that once hung from the butt of his tri-barrelled gun.

"Who are you?" He whispered. His only reply was the quiet murmur of the wind and the faint creak of the house as if in response.

* * *

The search of the house revealed nothing that revealed the identity of the person that had given him the Cerberus charm, nothing except for a dog bowl that held water which was obviously for Vinnie. 

The dog himself was gone along with its elusive owner and forced to leave the house due to the lack of evidence, he headed back, mentally noting the address and direction he took to get here.

By the time he got back to Final Heaven, pondering how this mysterious person managed to sneak up on him of all people and where they've obtained the charm from, it was early evening and what surprised him most was the bar was closed.

He walked in, eyebrow rose as he saw the scene before him.

Cloud turned his head towards the gunman, "Yuffie's missing."

The ninja was missing?

"Are you sure she hasn't run off?" Vincent surveyed the group looking tense and anxious.

"No, the store manager remembered serving her and we found one of her trainers in a nearby alley. Someone must have snatched her." Tifa informed him, dabbing her eyes with a crumpled tissue.

"We need to give it longer…" Cloud started but was interrupted by Cid hollering he couldn't wait much longer when the Ninja could be anywhere right now in any circumstance.

"I'll call Reeve to start looking." Cloud pulled out his phone.

* * *

The phone rang whilst I was in the shower, I was hesitant to answer it but eventually on the eighth ring I wrapped a towel around me and answered it where it laid on the edge of the sink. 

"I need your help, someone of vital importance has gone missing."

Reeve.

"Who is it?"

"Yuffie. She's a WRO specialist along with Vincent. She's been missing now for nearly 12 hours."

"I'll have a look on the market; have a WRO dispatch team ready. We may need to take these men out in order to get her." I was already puling on my trousers as I hung up.

To have a specialist such as Yuffie who worked on high profile missions and was an essential component to the WRO, missing for 12 hours was urgent. I pulled out my small I-format phone, which connects to the WRO computer mainframe and downloaded Yuffie's personal data.

Yuffie Kisaragi,

Blood type – A

Age – 22

Place of origin – Wutai.

It went on to say her basic background history but I was looking at the small picture of her, committing to memory her facial features for when I'm searching the slums and it's black markets.

I checked over my ammo and weapons, my mind whirling into it's search and rescue mode whilst ignoring my earlier encounter that day with Vincent.

It felt so good to smell his familiar scent once more, that smell I once encountered daily only to be lost for more than thirty years.

It was like an itch I finally scratched after all this time yet it left me wanting more.

I still was kicking myself, of all the places I search for him over the many years, he was hiding right under my nose at the very place I searched through thoroughly.

Well obviously I must have missed something.

Right at Shinra Mansion…

Right beneath me!

…of all the bloody places…

…in a freakin' coffin!

Ok, I'm ranting now.

I can't do much about it now, but I can do something about trying to find Yuffie.


	7. The Known Stranger

As usual, i don't owe anything to do with FF7. Please review!

**The Known Stranger**

****

It was gone midnight when Reeve visited the bar and revealed that Yuffie has been located. AVALANCHE learnt that currently the ninja was being held at a 'stable' where men can view women before deciding to buy them. on a notorious market known as the Midnight Market that specialised in the trade of humans, supplying slaves and women to brothels, rich buyers and private houses.

"Because of the nature of this market, it's not a simple task of going in and taking Yuffie. Therefore someone needs to pose as a buyer and sneak her out without alerting much trouble." Reeve sighed.

"I'll do it." Cloud almost immediately elected himself but Reeve shock his head.

"According to my contact, your face is well known in the underworld and there needs to be two men that can easily blend in, one to get Yuffie out whilst the other provides cover should anything arises."

"Then I think it should be Vincent and Cid." Tifa said. Both men looked at her then each other, Vincent with indifference at being elected to the task and Cid with dismay at being so.

"Why not me?" Bellowed Barrett.

"You don't exactly blend in with the crowd being the biggest out of all of us." Tifa politely pointed out, receiving a scowl for her effort.

"I agree it should be Vincent and Cid. You'll need to dress more appropriately for the kind of place you're going to. You'll be wearing these earpieces as the contact will be guiding you through this one." Reeve placed a small box on the bar counter and removed the lid to reveal the said earpieces that were designed to sit deep in the ear unnoticed.

"Cid? Have you got a spare set of clothes I could borrow? I've haven't got much in a way of a wardrobe." Vincent quietly asked as Cid growled.

* * *

"Are you sure my trousers aren't tight?" Cid asked, eyeing Vincent who sat opposite him in the back of the car.

Vincent looked down at the pair of blue jeans teamed with a black roll neck jumper and black leather jacket that smelt of beer, oil and smoke which made up of the outfit Cid kindly leant the gunman. He wore a pair of black boots burrowed from Cloud as he was too big to wear Cid's and his hair was tied back though shorter strands stubbornly hung across his face, hiding the unnatural shade of his crimson eyes.

He nodded as he looked back at Cid who actually looked…smart for once.

Dressed in black trousers and a dark red shirt with his hair slicked back, he looked like some dodgy salesman, perfect for where they were currently being driven to by taxi.

After paying the driver once they stopped at a street known for being rife with tacky sex shops and whore houses (Vincent was uncomfortable with telling the driver where they wanted to go, instead Cid did so with much glee.) they walked over to a quiet lane on the pretence of lighting a cigarette when actually they were discreetly wiggling the small ear pieces into their ear and await the contact from their guide.

"Didn't know you smoked." Cid smirked as Vincent took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled into the short man's face.

"I used to in the Turks."

"Hmm! Well Sheera keeps telling me to quit before these things kill us." Cid drawled.

"I think nowadays it'll take more than a nasty habit of smoking to kill me." Vincent muttered as he took another drag and turned to survey their surroundings.

They stood across the street from a shop window lined with 'the latest porn' as the sign proudly proclaimed, the word 'SEX' flashed rhythmically in neon red lights.

Two women in short skirts were laughing as they tottered alongside a car which pulled up, they bantered with the driver and with a deal intact, they climbed into the back of the car with their new client.

Vincent watched Cid curiously eye up some mucky pictures posted alongside the building they were standing next too, advertising call girls, he threw his cigarette down into the drain when a voice in his ear responded.

"_I wouldn't litter here if I were you, despite being a seedy area, you can still be fined for littering. Something I can't help you with if you get caught."_

Cid visibly jumped next to the gunman who froze then slowly eyed their

surroundings.

"_I wouldn't try looking for me Vincent, I am well hidden. You look nice, makes a change from the leather and cloak for once." _The feminine voice echoed in his ear asHe looked at Cid who was trying to choke back a laugh.

"_You both need to listen, you need to do exactly as I say if you want to get Yuffie back. There's WRO team ready to raid the place after you get Yuffie out. They're on stand by and will be ready to intervene when I say so. I take it Reeve asked you to conceal your weapons well?"_

"Yes." Vincent quietly acknowledged.

"_Right, you need to start walking up the street before you. You're looking for Waterman's Café. There's an alley by it which you need to turn into."_

They both started walking, eyes looking out for the café as they ignored the gaudy lights and sounds around them.

"_It's the place with a whale lit up on the front."_ Their contact helpfully added.

"There!" Cid pointed out, they saw the dark alley the contact had mentioned and started walking down it.

"_You'll reach a door on the left hand side. Knock and when he lets you in, you need to say "You're here to view some possible purchases.". Make him think you've been here before."_

"You better leave the talking to me Vincent." Cid spoke quietly as they walked down the alley, out of the darkness loomed a small wooden door and Cid held up his fist and knocked three times.

There was a click of a lock and the door opened inwards, revealing a large swarthy man similar in bulk to Barrett.

"What?" he barked.

"Me and my chum here are here to view some possible purchases." Cid drawled, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder to indicate Vincent who stood silently, letting the man eye him them step back to allow them in.

"We got a good stock tonight, better than last time gentleman, you know the way in." The man closed the door behind them and locked it.

"_You need to_ _walk through the central door and down the stairs."_

Cid lead the way, opening the central door of three and stepping down the stairs to where another door was open and they could hear sounds of men's voices, the shrieks of women and the smell of sex and tobacco greeted their noses.

"_You should come to a large hall where the women are kept; you need to look as if you're interested in some of the women. Don't give the game away."_

"Oh Gaia…" Cid whispered, his eyes widen at the number of women chained to their posts. Some cried and shrieked whenever they were touched whilst others looked dazed and scared, looking away from the crowd that watched them. And a few unfortunate women were already in the hands of their buyers, being subjected before the crowd.

Vincent turned his head away from one woman who screamed as a man ripped her dress away revealing her bruised, naked torso.

"I can't do this…" Cid muttered.

"_You're nearly there. You need to hold on for Yuffie. She's the third one down at the far left side."_

They walked down, slowly so they wouldn't draw unwanted attention until they reached a woman who looked seriously pissed off, sitting on the floor with her arms crossed and her back to the rest of the room.

Reaching down, Vincent picked up part of the long link of chains attaching her to the post and gave it a small tug; pulling on the Ninja's arm.

"Fuck you!"

Vincent yanked harder, pulling the woman's frame over and she angrily turned to regard her tormentors.

"Yuffie, it's me…Cid and Vinnie." Cid hoarsely whispered and the Ninja blinked her eyes in recognition.

"How…?"

"Sssh, just pretend we're here to buy you." Cid whispered as Yuffie hesitantly walked towards them, tears already swelling up in her eyes as she looked from one man to the other.

"They didn't hurt you?" Vincent asked she shook her head, "They only roughed me up a little. I kept kicking and biting so they left me alone."

"Thata girl." Cid praised her as Yuffie stood before them with a hue of bruises across her slender body.

"You're interested in the girl? She's feisty if you're into that kinda thing? Guarantee ya myself she's a virgin and an unspoilt one." A huge man appeared, taking the chain from Vincent's hand and yanked it hard, pulling Yuffie to him and holding her jaw so they could get a good look at her face.

The Ninja squirmed but the man's huge hands held fast.

"_You need to say to the man you wish to see for yourself she's a virgin and ask is there's somewhere where you three can go?" _The contact's voice echoed in the two men's ears, Cid looked stunned and Vincent swiftly stepped in.

"I only got your word she's untouched. Is there somewhere where we can see for ourselves?"

The man chuckled and reached to pull out a small ring of keys and undid the chain round the Ninja's wrist.

"Follow me gentlemen."

They followed him, glaring at the man's back as he hauled Yuffie along in his grip down the very end of the hall and through a door which lead to a small room.

"I'll give you five minutes gentlemen. If you're not buying her, don't spoil the merchandise." The man pushed Yuffie ahead of him into the room and let them step in then closed the door behind him.

"_Great, now see the window above you? The grill covering it is not secured properly. You just need to undo the bolts and then climb out. The window is street level to a lane outside."_

"Vinnie!" Yuffie gave the man a life threatening hug as Cid reached up and started undoing a bolt in the lower corner of the grill.

"How did you find me?"

"We got someone helping us as we speak." Vinnie managed to get Yuffie's clinging arms off him and started helping Cid, "Keep a watch on the door."

"Last bolt." Muttered Cid as he used a Gil coin to unscrew it, the grill slid down and was carefully caught by Vincent who placed it on the floor, Cid reached up and opened the window, cringing as the rusty hinges squeaked.

"Hurry, he could be coming back any second!" Yuffie hissed as Cid hoisted himself up and out the window then turned to help the woman out, aided by Vincent who gave her a leg up.

Just as Vincent began to lift himself out, the door slammed open and there was a surprised shout as the man thundered into the room in pursuit of Vincent who was half way out the window.

The gunman kicked out as the man's meaty fist grabbed his ankle and hearing his booted heel connecting with something soft and then a roar of pain as the man let go, Vincent let Cid and Yuffie haul him out onto the wet concrete of the street.

"Move!" Cid snapped, yanking the man to his feet as the three of them started to run.

"_I have visual on you, keep running. You're being followed."_

"Keep running where?" Cid panted.

"_Just keep moving! The WRO are moving towards you as we speak…keep your head down!" _The command came just as gunfire broke out.

There was a din of noises as men chased them, calling out and firing their weapons as their feet thundered down the small lanes.

Over the chaos, Vincent's ears picked up a familiar sound of gun fire that made him think of Cerberus, Yuffie wheezed as she ran next to him, casting a glance over her shoulder at their pursuers. "Someone's firing at them."

"I know, keep running…"

There was a yowl of pain as Cid toppled forward.

"I've been shot in my leg!" He spat, holding his leg as he rocked on his back, hissing in pain. Vincent and Yuffie tried to pick him up between them but the delay meant the men that chased them were drawing closer.

"Get him up and keep running!" a voice shouted, sounding louder in person than when she had spoke through the ear piece.

There was a blurred motion as something landed directly in front of them after jumping down from a nearby roof.

Standing before them was a woman with long white hair dancing in the night breeze, from a holster attached to her leg; she pulled a gun strikingly similar to Cerberus but silver in colour and aimed it at the approaching mob.

She looked over her shoulder at Vincent and he saw her eyes were yellow.

"I'll divert them, keep moving."

She turned back and expertly started shooting down her individual targets, the dirge of her gun echoing down the lanes and into Vincent's mind as he hauled Cid 's arm over his shoulder and started running up the lane.

"Who is she?" Yuffie panted as Cid cursed loudly in pain.

But Vincent kept silent, mind focused on the current dilemma at hand.

They saw Shadowfox driving towards them, Reeve driving behind the wheel, his eyes widened as he recognised the three of them.

The vehicle screeched to a stop and the back door flung open, WRO soldiers scrambling out and running down the lane with their weapons ready where soon more gunfire volley sounded behind them.

"What happened?" Reeve asked, helping Vincent lower Cid in the back of the vehicle.

"Shot in the leg."

"Go, cover that damn woman, I'm fine here for a moment." Cid waved them off, pulling cigarettes from his pocket and lighting three at once.

Without waiting, Yuffie, Vincent and Reeve turned and ran back down to where the WRO stood, slowly advancing on the mob as they fell back.

The woman leading them forward stopped firing and pulled from her back her two Katanas and charged into the fray, slicing and hacking as she went.

"Move forward!" she bellowed and the soldiers obeyed, charging up to the few stragglers that were the remains of the mob and forcing them to surrender.

She stood back and flicked her blades free of blood and slowly reached behind her to return them to their sheaths, she watched the men being herded up and looked around her.

"Something's not right…there was more of them." Vincent hear her mutter.

What happened next was almost too fast to see but a building exploded outwards, showering the crowd with rubble as a huge mechanical 'spider' clambered through the hole it made.

"A Black widow? Where the hell did these men get it from?" Reeve shouted as the Widow scuttled up the side of the building and started firing down at the people below.

Vincent moved forward, pulling out his gun as he did so, he had expertise in dealing with this sort of things. After all, he dealt with them on his long mission against Deepground. He let off a few shots as the woman took aim and fired as well.

"Get everyone out now!" she screamed over to Reeve as she dodged a mechanical, flailing leg as the Widow charged towards her. The noise it made as its spider-like legs thudded into the pavement was deafening as the woman charged towards it with her gun stretched outwards, shooting as he went.

Vincent leapt away from the small missile the Widow fired in his direction, the explosion causing the men behind him to shout as smoke filled the night sky, the cries of men as they pulled out from the small lane.

He looked to see the woman leapt onto the back of the Widow, trying to prevent herself from being flung off as she shot at the main body of it. Vincent started to run forward to help when a WRO soldier stepped forward with a rocket launcher held on his shoulder.

"No!" he yelled but the launcher fired, propelling the rocket through the air, whistling at the speed it gained.

He saw the woman look up in surprise but it was too late as the rocket hit its target, exploding into a huge ball of fire as both spider and the buildings around it fell from the air.

Smoking debris laid across the pavement as the fire from the initial impact roared, catching the timber of building beams alight.

Reeve pushed past Vincent, rummaging through the rubble.

"Hades!" he called, making every nerve in Vincent's body jangle to a halt.

Hades?

"Reeve, I doubt she had survived that explosion." Yuffie called out from a safe distance where she seen the whole thing.

Reeve looked up from his frantic search to regard Yuffie a hard stare and went to open his mouth. Before he could say anything, there was a disturbance of rubble as something pushed upwards from beneath.

There was a cough as the rubble clattered away from the woman. She slowly stood up, smoke still rising from her body as the clothes she wore were ether burnt in large parts or torn away.

She raised a bloody hand to the back of her neck then twisting it from side to side to work out the kinks. She turned and looked at Reeve, wounds scattered across her arms, legs, torso and neck.

But perhaps more gruesomely was the bloody head wounds that exposed the raw flesh where rubble and metal shrapnel has sliced away at the skin. Vincent couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the skin knit together, he could even heard the flesh rasp as it healed right before him.

"Who fired that fucking rocket?" the woman demanded in a deadly tone that spelt many things for the pour soul.

The man didn't even had to raise his hand for she stalked over, ignoring his wide eyes that watched her accelerated healing flesh and grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and lifted him a few inches off the ground as she snarled, "You fucking prick!"

Without a warning, she brought her knee up into the man's groin and dropped him into a crumpled whimpering pile.

"Reeve, make sure this man gets disciplined for not awaiting orders." She angrily turned to the commissioner who held up a hand in a soothing gesture that did nothing.

She then turned to look at Yuffie, her eyes looking over the young woman for any obvious signs of her recent ordeal.

"You ok?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Yuffie retorted incredulously.

"It's just scratches and they've healed." The woman held up her arm and wiped at her wounds to show the smooth skin beneath the smears of blood. "Hasn't your friend been shot?"

"Cid? Oh crap I forgot about him!" Yuffie turned and ran to the van.

The woman turned back to Reeve then her yellow eyes slid over to Vincent.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"Vincent." She stated.

"Mira…" was his somewhat breathless reply.

"It's been a while." She simply said.


End file.
